Free At Last

"Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence and thereby eventually lose all ability to defend ourselves and those we love."

- Julian Assange

As of yesterday, Julian Assange's freedom is pending. It seems too good to be true. We will have to wait and see.

However, for now he is out of prison, and free for the first time since WikiLeak's 2010 release of almost half a million documents relating to US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

"One of the best ways to achieve justice is to expose injustice."

- Julian Assange

So much injustice. So little time.

There is still much work to be done. 

Carry on, Mr. Assange, and, thank you for your sacrifice.

Free at last.

Groupthink

What the heck is going on in the collective human brain? 

Whatever it is, it has accelerated over the past four years, making me think long and hard about societal mental decline.

The psychological phenomenon of groupthink goes a long way to describing current conditions.

"Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness, in a group may produce a tendency among its members to agree at all costs."  

 - Wiki

We are social animals. Fitting in is an important survival instinct. But at what point does going with the group begin to reduce our chances of survival?

What are the symptoms of groupthink?

*Illusions of unanimity lead members to believe that everyone is in agreement and feels the same way. It is often much more difficult to speak out when it seems that everyone else in the group is on the same page.

*Unquestioned beliefs lead members to ignore possible moral problems and not consider the consequences of individual and group actions.

*Rationalizing prevents members from reconsidering their beliefs and causes them to ignore warning signs.

*Stereotyping leads members of the in-group to ignore or even demonize out-group members who may oppose or challenge the group's ideas. This causes members of the group to ignore important ideas or information.

*Self-censorship causes people who might have doubts to hide their fears or misgivings. Rather than sharing what they know, people remain quiet and assume that the group must know best.

*"Mindguards" act as self-appointed censors to hide problematic information from the group. Rather than sharing important information, they keep quiet or actively prevent sharing.

*Illusions of invulnerability lead members of the group to be overly optimistic and engage in risk-taking. When no one speaks out or voices an alternative opinion, it causes people to believe that the group must be right.

*Direct pressure to conform is often placed on members who pose questions, and those who question the group are often seen as disloyal or traitorous.

 

- Kendra Cherry

Doesn't that all sound creepily, accurately, and depressingly familiar?

Groupthink causes us to think, and therefore do, things we wouldn't ordinarily if we were thinking for ourselves.

It blinds us to the truth. It sidelines rational thinking, understanding, compassion and love all at the same time which makes it a powerfully destructive force.

I have always tried to resist groupthink, and be confident enough to stand up for who I am and what I believe in. 

It is possible for the group to be wrong, and in many cases, catastrophically wrong. Historically there's no lack of examples, including a few horrific cases that are ongoing right now.

I'm not buying into any of their self-serving manipulations by way of getting us all right where they want us - working for them, buying their stuff and their lies, and bending obsequiously to their will. 

Instead, I am dangerously flirting with an awakening by questioning everything (especially my own beliefs and knowledge), doing my own research, and thinking for myself.

From the system's perspective, people who dare to do this, seek the truth, are a threat. 

As someone trying to be a descent human being, I see it as my responsibility.

What do you think?

The Phucked Up Phour Aphecting Our Health

There is a terrible trio that preys on us and our health. 

1. Big Phood - where it all starts, which is addicting us to their processed crap and making us sick.

2. Big Pharma - which profits from treating the effects of Big Phood's poisons.

3. Big Government - the enabler and protector of the sickness care scam.

And when you add one more main participant, you get the Fucked up Four.

4. Big Medicine - it sucks more of the people's money than any other expenditure, but has little to show for it in the average person's health and well being.

It's a grift, and more people are wising up to the scam.

Some are beginning to wonder if, on the whole, the Phucked Up Phour have done more damage than good. 

Medical errors are one of the main causes of death, and all cause mortality has been up in most modern countries with high tech health care since the pandemic launched. 

The authorities have been ignoring these excessive deaths after 3 years of obsessively tabulating deaths from a certain sickness deemed "the most important in a century", even though other scenarios cause more deaths every year.

Failure after failure. If you can profit handsomely from failure, why even try to succeed? What is the incentive?

My health care plan is to eat only wholesome foods (grown in the garden as much as possible) that we have cooked ourselves, exercise, hydrate, get plenty of sleep, and live a low stress life with lots of time in nature.

And stay away from mainstream doctors and hospitals unless bleeding uncontrollably. 

Or if you have a steel bar sticking out of your head after an industrial accident. 

They are very good at fixing that kind of thing.

Emergencied

It's an emergency. So many emergencies. They are piling up so fast these days it's hard to keep them straight.

It's an emergency of emerging emergencies. How long before we get emergency fatigue?

Why so many emergencies? Because emergencies are useful to those in power. 

Declaring a state of emergency gives leaders special powers, and what leader doesn't like more power? 

This special state is the "one ring to rule them all" without the usual checks and balances. With a stroke of the pen they become little dictators that don't need to worry about messy, plodding democracy.

Two years ago the leaders of "the free world" slipped that ring on and like Bilbo, are now reluctant to take it off.

"A state of emergency or emergency powers is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of their citizens." - Wiki

We should be careful or they will emergency us to death. Maybe that is the idea since they tell us we have an overpopulation problem.

Rest assured that the police will be bashing heads of citizens in the streets, and freedoms/rights will be suspended for our own good. 

It is not a stretch to think a government might manufacture an emergency or two just to get those juicy extra powers.

In Canada our government layered an emergency on an emergency in fine fascist fashion. 

COVID was the first emergency, and then they took the nuclear option (the rarely used Emegencies Act) to declare the mother of all states of emergency so they could crush peaceful protests protesting the first emergency.

Non-violent, lawful protesters found themselves being violently attacked by laws previously used to deal with foreign terrorists and wars. 

There it is. In my country (and many others) peaceful protesters are terrorists now. Domestic terrorists. 

Essentially, if you don't support the government narrative you are a terrorist. And a Nazi. 

It's a global Guantanamo in the making.

And how about the capitalists? Turns out they love a good state of emergency, too.

"Never let a good emergency go to waste," they say.

What will the next "emergency" be? There are so many choices it is hard to pick just one.

WWIII? Global food shortage? Diesel fuel shortage? Computer chip shortage? Baby formula? Eggs? Meat? Monkeypox? Supply chains? Fertilizer? 

How about the climate issue? Have you noticed how Nitrogen Hysteria Syndrome is threatening to kill farms and ranches around the world? 

Wouldn't that lead to a food emergency?

First we had 'global warming', then 'global climate change', then 'global climate crisis', and more recently it has been rebranded as what? 

You guessed it - a "Climate Emergency". 

Oh, no.

We are living in unprecedented times. With a little downsizing, hard work, and preparations you won't get emergencied to death.

And, as usual, we must resist and push back, or we can say goodbye to democracy, if we have ever had it.

Today is a good day to fight the system, and their false flag emergencies.

 

Choices?

I can buy a thousand different tooth brushes, but I can only vote for two main federal political parties. 

What kind of choice is that? 

What if neither choice is attractive? Then what?

Left or Right?

Neither.

Green consumerism or ordinary consumerism?

Neither.

Internal combustion or electric car?

Neither.

Work for this boss or work for that boss?

Neither.

By framing our choices they limit our choices and our freedom to live more richly and intentionally.

They go as far as to tell us there are no other choices, that what what we see now is somehow inevitable and unchangeable.

Have we forgotten that there are other choices available to us rather than the strictly limited officially sanctioned ones?

The West or The East?

Neither.

Capitalism or communism?

Neither.

City or suburbs?

Neither.

White meat or red meat?

Neither.

Beer or spirits?

Neither.

Old World Order or New World Order?

How about No World Order? Is that a choice, too, and if not, why not?

The choices they give us aren't choices. They are more like threats or demands to maintain our compliance.

Going strictly with the narrow narrative on anything restricts thinking, choices, and freedom.

Choose not to choose any of their limited choices. Make your own choice.

And in closing, do we really need thousands of different makes and models of tooth brushes? 

They have this choice thing backwards. 

Important stuff = very limited choices.

Unimportant stuff = dizzying array of choices.

Both situations are paralyzing. 

Perhaps that is the result they intend.

Doing One's Part For Climate Change

"Decades of pretence are coming to a close. Rapid changes in our climate are waking us up to the reality that we and the Earth are one system. 

The wasted years mean we are woefully unprepared for the consequences of our actions. 

Our civilization of separation is finished."

—Jem Bendell

Climate Change Emergency

Estimated impact: 

- 5 million deaths per year from intense heat and cold alone, and this emergency is not going anywhere.

General Response:

"I am hesitant to make any lifestyle changes because the science is wrong, politicians just want our tax dollars, and what one person does won't make a difference anyway."

Coronavirus Emergency

Estimated impact: 4 million deaths so far over a year and a half, and the pandemic is coming to a close.

General Response:

"The science is indisputable, and anyone that says any different is spreading dangerous misinformation. 

The facts cannot be questioned, even by experts.

The entirety of humanity must stop all economic and social activity, and get a jab at Warp Speed. 

Those who fail to comply will be sanctioned for their selfish inaction."

Recent Headline: 

COVID vaccines create 9 new billionaires with combined wealth greater than cost of vaccinating world’s poorest countries

"Remember", they say, "we are all in this together."

Simple Math

Junk Food Subtraction - like many other things, the less the better.

A consumer life is a life of addition, always adding more and more and more to our lives. Sooner or later, we have no space left for living.

A simple life, on the other hand, is a life of subtraction. It is a lifelong process of subtracting those things that get in the way of living an authentic life. And there are an infinite number of those things that can get in the way.

The subtractive mindset whittles away at the infinity of distractions, and creates space to fulfill our personal potential as human beings. It allows us to expand into a wondrous and beautiful Universe, merging with the joy of Creation.

And how do you get there? Keep subtracting. 

I am working my way down to owning only two pairs of underwear, for example. Do I really need to own 20 pairs? Do they make my life better? I don't see how.

However, the most important item to subtract along the path to the simple and beautiful life is not underwear. It is that blindfold of consumerism that hides all that is real and true and precious in this world. 

Under an eyes open fair and sensible system, we could be living in a paradise right here on Earth. Now. All of us. We already have every single thing we need. 

Everything, that is, except the cooperation of those that want to keep us blind. They desperately want our eyes closed to the lies and corruption that keep humanity from the better world we all deserve.

Doing some take away, and removing the blinders is the first step toward freedom and change, both personal, and cultural. 

When we are able to see our life in a totally new way, one without the constraints and boundaries of conventional thinking, we can see the lies, illusions, and wishful thinking that have been hiding in plain sight all along.

A simple life remains a challenge. Just living is a full time job. Why add a bunch of extra complications that only make us unhappy in the end?

It is simple math. Perpetually adding to the misery with more, more, more is not the way to go.

Any time is a great time to subtract, subtract, subtract.

Looters On A Rampage

I was going to write about my garden, which is fully planted, but there is so much going on in the world right now I find myself needing to sow some ideas in the fertile soil of the internet first.

So here goes with some random thoughts.


* When you steal the contents of a store you are a looter. 

When you steal the contents of an old growth forest you are an enterprising industry leader.



* When telling a lie, tell a whopper. Keep repeating it. If challenged, double down. 

For example - "You are free." "We care." "TINA." "Corruption only happens in other countries." "You have Freedom of Assembly." 



* You can rob more money by owning a bank than by robbing a bank.



* There is never enough money for the people's projects. 

There is always enough money for propping up crony capitalism.


* When you dump a load of steer manure on a CEO's doorstep you are engaging in "domestic terrorism". 

When that CEO dumps toxic shit in your drinking water he is engaging in "bringing jobs and prosperity to your community".



* When a crowd of people are in the street (some with automatic weapons), disrupting traffic and screaming moistly for haircuts and a sit down fast food meal, they get a police escort. 

When a crowd of peaceful, non-violent, non-armed citizens are in the street screaming (also moistly) for justice they get pepper spray, rubber bullets and police infiltrators/provocateurs instigating violence to discredit their message. 


* When you try to save the Earth you are an ecoterrorist and will be rewarded with scorn and incarceration. 

When you succeed in destroying the Earth, if you are lucky, you will be rewarded by becoming a billionaire.



I can see who the real looters are, and where the real violence is coming from.

It is not the citizens I have seen in the streets, who are largely peaceful and compassionate toward each other and loving toward their communities.

Right now the real looters are on a record-setting multi-trillion dollar rampage. It is the largest transfer of wealth in the history of large transfers of wealth. 

And the largest purveyors of violence on the planet are state authorities trying to keep our necks under their knees. "We can't breathe!" 

These truths aren't being reported while we are obsessing over The People's understandable reaction to an obviously messed up social and economic situation.

Time To "Culture Jam" The Brands

There is something rotten in the world, and its stench has been growing my whole life. It is coming to a head now, like no other time in my almost 6 decades. 

I welcome the disruption because it is becoming obvious that we are losing our fight for freedom, and that powerful undemocratic forces have taken over. 

Most of us didn't notice this global coup that is now steamrolling over the planet. We were too busy shopping, and staring at screens with their endless vomitorum of putrid propagandistic programming.

Kalle Lasn, cofounder of Adbusters Media Foundation, a Canadian-based not-for-profit, pro-environmental organization founded in 1989, has been watching this all unfold. In his book, "Culture Jam", he explains what he has seen, and what we might do about it.

"America is no longer a country. It's a multitrillion-dollar brand. Amer-
ica™ is essentially no different from McDonald's, Marlboro or General
Motors. It's an image "sold" not only to the citizens of the U.S.A., but to consumers worldwide.  

The American brand is associated with catch- words such as "democracy," "opportunity" and "freedom." But like cigarettes that are sold as symbols of vitality and youthful rebellion, the American reality is very different from its brand image.  

America™ has been subverted by corporate agendas. Its elected officials bow before corporate power as a condition of their survival in office. A collective sense of powerlessness and disillusionment has set in. A deeply felt sense of betrayal is brewing." 

You can read Lasn's book for free here at the online Internet Archive. 

But get ready for a wake up call, even if you consider yourself informed. After reading this, shopping will never be the same again. Nor will your ideas about freedom, democracy, effective government, or the truth.

Are you ready for a revolution that will reclaim what is rightly ours and has been stolen by a small group of power hungry, greedy, and very dangerous people?

Kalle Lasn has a plan.

Fleeing Fukushima Fallout

Fukushima fallout by air and sea is on the west coast of N. America now.

After ten glorious years Linda and I are leaving the Pacific Ocean behind. In a few weeks we will be nuclear refugees courtesy of the March 11, 2011 triple melt downs at the Fukushima/Diachi NPP.

Having already been touched by the airborne particles spewing from the stricken plant for the past 1078 days, we don't feel like sticking around to see what the ocean-borne plume will bring with it. Unfortunately, we have limited data to help make an informed decision whether to stay or go.

In the complete absence of information from any level of government, and an all out news blackout since the disaster, we feel we must ere on the side of caution. If no one can tell us it is safe, then it is best to put some distance between ourselves and the ongoing disaster.

Most credible research shows that there is no safe limit of radiation. There is no acceptable amount that humans can be exposed to. The only safe level is zero. None.

Luckily Canada is a large country in which it is possible for us to get 6185 kilometres away while never leaving the comfort of home. I like the idea of being that much farther away from a problem that has no end in sight, and promises serious consequences globally for centuries to come.

Nuclear contamination in the Pacific Ocean after Fukushima disaster - highest concentrations 
will be off west coast of N. America, according to modelling.

Lead researcher Erik Behrens of the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, summarized the Pacific ocean radioactive plume situation this way:

“Based on the assumptions we made and the lack in knowledge about the real total released amount of radioactive materials, I am not able to assess whether the concentrations on the West Coast of the U.S. will be harmful or not. 

It can not be excluded that even small radioactive doses can have a harmful effect.”

 Maybe we can return to the west coast in 10,000 years after things have settled down a bit.

Opting Out Increasingly Difficult/Illegal

Opt out now - while it's still legal!

During a time when the authorities say "go shopping", then praise you as 'patriotic' when you do, what happens if you don't comply? What happens if you wish to opt out of the whole materialistic rat race, and live a minimal, simple, self-reliant life?

Increasingly what happens are laws that prevent you from choosing that potentially desirable opt out route.

For example, there are many places with laws that prevent you from collecting rainwater. Or growing anything but useless energy-intensive, chemical-dependent grass within sight of your neighbours. Or laws that prevent you from sleeping in a car or RV on city streets, or from building a tiny house, or remaining off the grid.

Anti-opting out legislation is being passed by centralized governments at all levels in order to protect their turf and cement our dependence on a crumbling, complex system that they and their corporate friends profit from.

If we are 'allowed' to opt out of this system, and assert our independence through increased simplicity and self-reliance, we are less subject to their control. Worse for them, we cease to become their profit-providers.

That is why citizens growing gardens could become potential targets. A Geographical Information System has been used to put information on every garden in England in a data base. Rumours of a backyard garden tax are not limited to England - parts of the US are also looking at home gardens as being potential sources of much-needed revenue.

A side benefit for the government's corporate buddies is that the garden tax would also discourage people from eating non-corporate food.

Farmers have already been targeted, with devastating effects on both humans and biodiversity. In order to increase dependency and corporate profits, legislation has been passed to make seed saving, a tradition thousands of years old, illegal.

In India, simple farmers are forced into the complex world of patented, corporate seed stock, energy-intensive industrial agriculture, debt, bankruptcy, and eventual suicide.

Legislation and nuisance bylaws everywhere are being used to keep the 99% dependent on centralized governments and corporations that offer no solutions, only increased resistance to our choosing to opt out of their system.

There is some urgency in developing a sustainable system to replace the one that is currently designed to make the 1% wealth at the expense of the people and the environment.

Opt out now, while you still can. Choose to live simply and sustainably, and free. Choose to increase local resilience, grow your own food, and save your own seeds. Choose to be one of the architects of a new system, the people's system.

While it is still somewhat legal.

WikiLeaks: Not Buying Secrecy and Lies

A just and fair world depends largely on the free flow of information. It used to be that the media provided the people with such information through investigative journalism. Now that the MSM is in the pockets of corporations and frequently defers to government power, it is increasingly hard for people to become fully informed. We can not build a better world based on lies and secrecy.

We have a right to know what governments are doing with our tax dollars in the name of serving the people. The expert below is from an article I read on Alternet which summed up the WikiLeaks 'controversy' for me:

"One of the only journalists with a relatively large following who has handled the WikiLeaks revelations in a way that is consistent with the tenets of professional journalism has been Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!. She has delved into the substance of the documents free of the psychobabble and voyeuristic obsession with Assange. The rest of the herd, with some exceptions, have been either wasting precious airtime or column inches trashing Assange or discussing how best the government can shield itself from future whistle-blowers.

The fact is Julian Assange possesses no security clearance and doesn't work for the United States government. He could not have "leaked" anything even if he wanted to. The documents in question are not private. They are official correspondence by federal employees and therefore are public property (and will be treated as such when they become a normal part of the national archives). Missed in the blather about WikiLeaks is that whoever inside the government might have leaked the documents probably did so out of a sense of civic engagement or even duty. Besides, if the motives of U.S. foreign policy are as pure as our leaders claim they are, then what's the big deal if these documents see the light of day?"  - Joseph Palermo

Let the antiseptic sunlight of truth shine and burn away the lies, hypocrisy, and corruption. Then we can move toward a more just and fair world that works for all.